EMORY UNIVERSITY REV. S. E. BAILEY QDratnry S. E. "BAILEY Printed By THE A. M. E. BOOK CONCERN, 631 Pine Street, Phila.. Pa. 1911 PREFACE. This book is what the title implies—"The Student's Oratory." The aim of the author is to encourage our stu¬ dents by publishing in book form the best orations deliv¬ ered, besides reaching a class of _our many pastors and speakers whose circumstances are such that they cannot at¬ tend commencements, but need greatly to be kept in con¬ stant touch with the progressive college work. This book contains the orations delivered by graduates from the schools of different denominations. They are not "boiled down" or second-hand" speeches, but fresh from the anvil have they woven some of the masterpieces of eloquence. Again, it is our highest endeavor that through these publi¬ cations we may help to centralize the best interest of our graduates and students as they go from the schools.—The Author. CONTENTS Frontispiece—Rev. S. E. Bailey. Introduction 3 The Duty of the Educated Youth 5 A Survey of Negro Achievement 8 Ability and Opportunity 15 The Possibility of Sunday-school in the Negro Church 18 Universal Liberty 23 Address at Unveiling of Class Monument, Hampton, Va.... 30 The Philosophy of the Church a Factor in the World 33 Life a Snowflake That Marks But Never Stains 38 What a Thorough Education Would Do for the South 41 Summon Bonun, A Product of Altruism 45 The Hampton Training Service 50 For Value Received, I Promise to Pay 53 Time Demands a Standard of the Negro Ministry 57 Spanning the Gulf 61 Lomax-Hannon School 64 i&uitettta' (Dratory "THE DUTY OF THE EDUCATED YOUTH.1' Delivered by Miss Addie Watson, Western University, Quindaro, Kan. Friends, in behalf of the Senior Class of 1910, I bring you greetings this afternoon. This is the climax of a series of years' work, during which we have been preparing our¬ selves for the drama of Life. It is a fitting culmination of earnest efforts put forth by us, for this world in which we live is one great battle field and destined to be the final resting place of mortal man. From ocean to ocean, from pole to pole, we behold the broad plains of. Nature, massive highlands and immeasur¬ able depressions. We stand in awe and in silence, then dawns the light, that this is Life's great battle field and Life is the mighty conflict in which we all must engage. In this conflict, fierce and unrelenting, we are made to know that Life is real, Life is earnest and the grave is not the goal. In this world is waged a war of principals, wherein civilization is arrayed against barbarism, mercy against oppression, justice ag!ainsit injustice, -and Christianity against sin. From the educated youth comes the question: "What part shall I have in this conflict, what is my duty?" As a reply, I would say: "Utility is the ultimate goal of our aim in Life, and much shall be expected of us; we 5 STUDENTS' ORATORY ing step must take our places in the advanced guard ^ee^jng the with the onward march of those who are approaCery edu- top of the Ladder of Success." It is the duty v{ew cated young man and woman to have a P^P°*efrom his and pursue it steadily. He should no_ ^ attractive Life course by other subjects, be they is not long enough for any man to accompl.sh ev ryth.ng; indeed, but few can at best accompl.sh more than one thing well So it is our duty to accomplish at least, one useful, worthy, important purpose. "Live for something, have a purpose and that purpose keep in view." Thus, there can be no question among philosophic observers of men and events, that fixedness of purpose is a grand element of human success. Ability is the very element in which power is developed. "Power and ability dwell near each other," says Pathagorus. God in His infinite wisdom, never intended that strong, independent beings should be reared by clinging to others, like the ivy to the oak for its support. The difficulties, hardships and trials of Life only make us stronger for conflicts that may arise. The oak that stands alone to contend the tempest blasts, only takes deeper root and stands the firmer for the ensuing conflicts. While the forest tree, when the woodsmans' ax has spoiled its surroundings, sways and bends and trembles and perchance is uprooted. So it is with men who have leaned for support on others around them; they are never prepared to go out and breast the storms of adversity that may arise. The greatest heroes of the battle field, as Napoleon Hannibal and Cromwell, the greatest statesmen and ora¬ tors, both ancient and modern as Demosthenes and our own Webster and Clay, could boast no patrician advan¬ tages, no capital in gold to begin with. The greatest for¬ tunes ever accumulated or possessed on earth were, and STUDENTS' ORATORY 7 are, the fruit of endeavor that had no capital to begin with, save energy, intellect and the will. From Creosus down to Astor, the story is the same, not only in the getting of wealth, but in the acquirement of eminence. Those men have won most who have relied most upon themselves. Every young man and woman, as they start out in life, should regard character as a capital much surer to bring full returns than any other capital, unaffected by panics and failures, fruitful when all other investments are dormant and having a certain promise in life as in that which is to come. Franklin attributed his success as a public man, not to his talent or his power of speaking, for these were but moderate, but to his known integrity of character, hence, he says, "I had so much weight with my fellow-citizens, I was but a bad speaker, never eloquent, subject to much hesitation in my choice of words, yet, I generally carried my point." Character creates confidence in men in every station of life. The most important duty of every educated young man and woman, who start out in life should look first and last to God to aid them in the great task before them. Be the salt of the earth, incorrupt in your deeds, in your inmost thoughts and feelings, yea, more incorruptible your views of duty, not narrow, false and destructive, but a saver of life to all around you. Be of the prudent who foresee the evil and hide themselves from it, not like the foolish who pass on and are punished. Life, to youth is a fairy tale just begun, to old age a tale read through and end in death. Be wise in time, that you may be happy in Eternity. 8 STUDENTS' ORATORY A SURVEY OF NEGRO ACHIEVEMENT. Hampton Institute, Hampton, Va., 1910. Harry S. Murphy. Upon this day thousands of Negroes reverently turn their thoughts toward the man of whom Kelly Miller has recently said: "There is none other than the Son of Man to whom the great Messianic prophecy applies with such pointed pertinency. He grew up as a root out of dry ground. He had no form or comeliness that we should desire him. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities." If we are truly to appreciate the fullness of the pres¬ ent, we must examine the period which antedates the Emancipation Proclamation for, as marvelous as has been the progress of the Negro race in America, without the ad¬ vantages of our one great disadvantage—tne lack of free¬ dom—this progress would have dwindled into comparative insignificance. While working under the cloud of slavery, the hopeless, unthinking Negro, with face as expression¬ less as Millet's "Man with the Hoe," was unconsciously laying up knowledge and skill which, when the sunlight of freedom burst upon him, became most valuable assets. In slavery the Negro learned the English language. In slavery productive labor was habitual, and when the Negro became free he found it less difficult to work con¬ tinuously. Then again, the value of the Negro's religious training in slavery, crude though it was, cannot be fully estimated by the most critical. It prepared the way for the real re¬ ligion of life, activity, and helpfulness, which we are just now beginning to understand. There is evidence, of course, that often there was little, if any, connection be¬ tween his religion and his daily life, but any inconsistency STUDENTS' ORATORY 9 was in keeping with the easy-going spirit of the times. Among the ante-bellum Negroes, however, could be found many whose lives were as directly parallel with their re¬ ligion as their understanding would allow. The ante-bel¬ lum preacher has been directly responsible in large meas¬ ure for the success of the Negro church of to-day. The Negro preacher before the war had the ability to "hold the fort" until the advent of a better prepared class of minis¬ ters who understood more clearly the needs of spirit, mind, and body. Not often is any importance attached to the education that the Negro received during the days of slavery. We use the word education advisedly, meaning a knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic—the so-called "three R's." The man who can read and write is far in advance of his fellows who do not possess this knowledge and skill, meager though his store may be. A prominent Negro Bishop often recounts with reverence the chances given him to learn at the feet of his master. Without this casual training in all probability we would be without the bene¬ ficial services of this most excellent worker. In slavery the Negro had a master to think for him; in freedom he had to think for himself. Every economic, every religious, every educational asset, however small, which enabled him to give up his mind more exclusively to practical thinking hadan invaluable influence on his prog¬ ress toward spiritual and temporal independence. The Ne¬ gro found himself in the early 6o's surrounded by condi¬ tions which compelled an economy of thought and action. When the Emancipation Proclamation became effec¬ tive the Negro race began to make history by leaps and bounds. Great numbers, it is true, regarded the newly ac¬ quired liberty merely as a chance to come and go at will. A considerable number, however, grasped the opportune moment. They rose in their might. They have already ac- IO STUDENTS' ORATORY quired homes and property in excess of $500,000,000. They own 245,000 farms comprising 30,000 square miles. They have spent $26,000,000 for churches. They support a large number of public and private schools which are effectively teaching the means of better living both by precept and ex¬ ample. They have established fifty banks. We know defi¬ nitely of 175 Negro insurance companies, operating in the Southern States, with outstanding contracts exceeding $100, 000,000. Among many individuals of reputable financial stand¬ ing are J. G. Groves, the Kansas "Potato King," who raises and ships annually 700,000 bushels of potatoes, besides an immense quantity of superior orchard products; A. C. Howard, formerly a railroad porter, but now the owner of a shoe polish manufactory, for the operation of which about $500 per month is spent for tin boxes. Mr. Groves and Mr. Howard ship their products over the whole .United States, Mexico and Canada. Mr. Howard recently filled an order from Mexico for 70,000 boxes of polish. Among suc¬ cessful Negro banks are the True Reformers Bank, of Rich¬ mond, Va.; the Montgomery Bank, the Savannah Bank, and that of Mound Bayou, Miss. The True Reformers Bank, since its establishment in 1881, has done a business exceeding $14,000,000. The Building and Loan Association of Hampton, Va., because of its honest and efficient -business methods, has had the unique distinction of refusing the use of the money of both white and colored men. The capital of the associa¬ tion often ran fai* in advance of the means of investment It has done since 1889 a business exceeding $600,000. The National Negro Business League, under the leadership of Dr. Booker T. Washington, has organized the largest of these business enterprises into an efficient moulder of con¬ structive public opinion. A distinct racial triumph, both from a business and a STUDENTS' ORATORY professional point of view, is found in the Negro hospitals. Prominent among these are the Freedman's Hospital, of Washington, D. C., and the Provident Hospital, of Chicago. The latter is headed by Dr. Daniel H. Williams, the only man of any race who ever operated successfully on the hu¬ man heart. His success in the delicate operation won him distinction as a practitioner, writer and lecturer, giving him the coveted opportunity of lecturing before the vener¬ able universities of Europe and a number of important scientific bodies. The educational and religious progress of the Negro has been no less astounding than his economic progress. There was doubt, even in the minds of his friends, as to his ability to comprehend the branches commonly taught. There were men, however, who believed in his possibilities, and these pioneers, led by Generals Oliver Otis Howard * and Samuel Chapman Armstrong, gave to humanity an ex¬ ample of Christ-like devotion to the conception of duty, the equal of which the world has not yet seen; and the doubt¬ ing Thomases who stood idly by asking, "What is the use?" who were ever ready to condemn with an emphatic, "I told you so!" have lived to see the day when a black man's Greek grammar has furnished instruction to the exclusive sons of Yale, for whom the best is considered none too good. They have lived to see Kelly Miller come forth from Howard and Johns Hopkins Universities to take his place among the eminent mathematicians of the nation. For an indefinite period these skeptics and their sons, with other inhabitants of two continents, will thumb the statistics of DuBois to get the best possible information on social and economic phases of Negro progress. Proctor and Mason, Bowen and Brooks have proved their claim to distinction among clergymen, by rendering signal service in racial and religious uplift. Fortune and Kealing, Knox and Davis have made an indelible impression in journal- 12 STUDENTS' ORATORY ism. Mr. Fortune, the dean of Negro journalism, as editor of the New York "Age," has given expression to opinions which the most important publications of the country in¬ cluding the Charleston, S. C., "News and Courier" have seen fit to respect. Henry O. Tanner, whose pictures hang in the galleries of the Luxemburg, has become an interna¬ tional figure in the field of art. The race has brought forth Curtis, Kenney, Hall and Courtenay, among the physicians; among literary men, Chesnutt and Dunbar, the latter of whom, though he sang of the crude and commonplace, sang with such sweetness that the civilized world stopped to listen in rapt admira¬ tion. If the distorted vision of these skeptics has been able to penetrate their veil of doubt, they have had a view of the man from Tuskegee, whom presidents and princes alike have delighted to honor. They have seen a countless host risen from degradation calling him blessed. The great drama, which has been and is still being en¬ acted before our eyes, ought to inspire us, and, lest we for¬ get, it is well for us to take stock of our situation. We can¬ not stand idly by, revelling in the achievements of our predecessors. As Dr. Washington would say, "We have passed many stars," but as the years come and go, new stars appear above the horizon. We are living in a won¬ derful age, an age in which the most fastidious can find ample employment for his or her attainments in effective service. No race possesses a better opportunity than ours to exercise the best mettle at its command. Great as has been the response of the North to. the Macedonian cry of the black South, the amount of help given has been woe¬ fully inadequate in meeting the pressing conditions. The reaper Death still claims his tens of thousands through the agency of ignorance, reinforced by a sleeping conscience. We are temporarily aroused to action by the startling cry of smallpox or the like, but death in the form STUDENTS' ORATORY of tuberculosis, typhoid fever, hookworm disease, and un¬ sanitary living continues unmolested to reap its fatal har¬ vest. The path that leads to the assistance of these unfor¬ tunates is the hard but royal road to our ultimate success, for there is no easy royal road to success. We move from galling servitude to patriotic, humble, heartfelt Christian service. We have religious, business, and social organiza¬ tions galore, and the question is not, How shall we acquire more? but How shall we use the present ones to best ad¬ vantage ? Let us look our problems in the face. We have al¬ ready reviewed some of the best things that have happened to the Negro race. We must not be unmindful, however, of the fact that in the beginning the race as a whole was projected forward beyond its natural development. When a subject people in the hard school of experience gradually assert themselves and gain control of the physical, mental, and spiritual forces that achieve their freedom, as did the Anglo-Saxons when they threw off the yoke of their Nor¬ man conquerors, they come forth by natural growth, pre¬ pared for the duties and responsibilities of civilization. Our process of evolution, however, has not been the same as that of the Anglo-Saxons. The powers which raised us to the plane we began to occupy in the'6o's came from with¬ out the race. A second misfortune befell us in that we had no examples of living, except those furnished by a people many of whom were given up almost exclusively to aristo¬ cratic living. A third misfortune was that, though this is a democratic nation, the educational system of the country has been the last iftstitution to submit to the real spirit of democracy, namely, to furnish to the average man such training as would bring him into sympathy with the con¬ ditions under which he must live. This has had its bane¬ ful effect on the education of the masses of Negroes. The total failure of many to recognize the essentials 14 STUDENTS' ORATORY of race progress has been a mistake costly to the Negro, whether made by his friends or by himself. When the Roman monks penetrated the German woods, the chief benefits they carried were not expressed in Cicero's "Ora¬ tions" or Xenophon's "Anabasis," but were embodied in the knowledge of agriculture and the arts which, adopted by the common people, made possible the later German civilization. To meet this issue fairly is the only means whereby he who comes at the eleventh hour may obtain the same wage as he who has borne the heat of the day. Our failure to recognize our duty will cause us to barter for a mere mess of pottage the birthright of generations still unborn. We must not be unmindful of hindrances to our prog¬ ress. Let us regard them, however, as the friction of ad¬ justment. Let us remember that right makes might, and in that faith dare to do our complete duty, regarding our¬ selves as a part of the Creator's universal plan. "For I doubt not through the ages one increasing purpose runs, And the thoughts of men are widened with the process of the suns." Garrison said, "Free the slave!" Seward said, "Let us make the North and West free soil!" Lincoln said, how¬ ever, "Let us save the Union!" He did save it. He saw, too, that Old Glory floated over no slave! It is given to us to prove ourselves peculiar interest on the millions of money and priceless life-blood, poured into the South for Negro education and uplift. It were better • $ that a millstone were hung about our necks and that we were drowned in the sea rather than that we deceive the cloud of consecrated witnesses who are watching our de¬ velopment with intense interest. Our success will be the best possible monument to the devotion of the men who have raised these magnificent breastworks against oar STUDENTS' ORATORY i5 ignorance, and while the millenium is yet hidden in the un¬ known future, North and South, in spirit and in truth, can join in the welcome chorus: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!" ABILITY AND OPPORTUNITY. Delivered at Atkinson Literary and Industrial College, by Elma Barbee, Class 1910, Madisonville, Ky. In the midst of the rush and hurry of these days, a man will be left far in the rear who does not make himself useful. Mere brain power is not enough; there must be some means so the ability can be manifested. The man of mere intellect may be a fine scholar and a thoughtful reader, but he can never mingle with the business life of the world at large. It needs a determination to make the world feel the brain of a man. If you do not let it be known that you are around some other fellow will climb over you and achieve great results. For we cannot stand on the bank shivering from the fear of cold and explore the country on the opposite shore, but we must jump in the stream and swim for dear life and see what can be found on the other side. We know if you give a manpower and some place in which to use it he is bound to accomplish something. - He may not do all that he desires, but his life cannot be a fail" ure. The most complete and satisfactory prosperity is that which is enjoyed by the man who has earned his own for¬ tune. It may seem like a hard undertaking for a young man to go forth into the great, grasping hardship of the world and fight the battle of life unassisted, but such a cause is i6 STUDENTS' ORATORY the one that leads generally to the most enduring success. We never hear men complaining from the want of ability. The most of the people think they could do great things if they only had an opportunity, somehow or other; someone or something has always been in the way, and the great wall of Providence has hedged them in on all sides, but we cannot give over to obstacles and expect to reach the goal. Most of the great men that we read of and know of have had some kind of resistance. I wonder if Mr. Washington would have reached the height that he has reached had it not been for obstacles be¬ fore him while on his way to Hampton, when he spent a night under the sidewalk and did not have the change of garments; but now he is one of the greatest men of the race. I wonder too, if those old Greek sages, Plato, Soc¬ rates, Aristotle, would have had the success that they did in philosophy had it not been for obstacles. No, they would not, if they could have had opportunities placed upon them; but, as it were, they had to make the way for themselves to win the battle of life. The Almighty God gives to all of us ability and oppor¬ tunity enough to be in some degree successful, and if we fail, most of the time it is our own fault. We neglect to improve the talent that God has given us as we fail to eh- ter the door which He has opened to us. A man cannot expect his whole life to be made up of opportunities, that they will meet him as he goes on through life, like mile¬ stones by the wayside, usually, he has one or two, and if he neglects them he is like the man who takes the wrong road where several meet, the further he goes the worse he fares. We so often hear people speak of this or that man as being a self made man, that he was born of the poorest and humblest parents, and with every obstacle to overcome, he became great, but that is a mistake. Poverty is generally an advantage. Most of the intellectual giants of the world STUDENTS' ORATORY >7 have been nursed by the sad but loving breast of poverty; most of those had but little opportunity, but they climbed the highest on the shining ladder of fame although they commenced at the lowest round. They were reared in the straw stack cottages of Europe and in the log Souses of America, in factories of great cities, in the smoke of dim success, and always on the verge of want. They were rocked by the feet of mothers whose hands at the same time were busy with the needle, and that makes me believe in every round of the ladder of fame, from the one that rests on the ground to the one that leans against the shin¬ ing summit of human ambition. Every man that has invented anything for the use of man has helped his fellowman that much. We should keep our ears open and hear what a man has to say, and give everybody a'chance to use the ability that they have and aid them in making an opportunity. It is not necessary to be rich, nor powerful, nor igreat to be a success; and neither is it necessary to have your name between the lips of everybody in the world to be great. The time has been when we used to think that a man was not a success that did not make a fortune or get a big office, and he was the man that slept about three hours a night, but the time has changed and men can sleep nearly as much as they please and then reach the plain of happiness. We often hear people speak of a man being superior because he has had a better advantage than some other man, but the superior man is the man who helps his fellow- men, the superior man is the useful man; he is the man that is kind to other men; and the greater load of human want and human sorrow you cdn get in your arms the high¬ er you can climb the great hill of fame, but it requires toil and faith-to overcome the distance of the world. Many times we could have a chance to do something i8 STUDENTS' ORATORY of note if we only had the ability. There are men all over the world who want to get rich, and yet they scorn such opportunities as A. T. Steward, John D. Rockefeller and Vanderbilt improved. They want to begin, not as those men did at the very bottom of the ladder, but half way up. They want somebody to give them a lift or carry them up so they can avoid the early struggle of the majority of those who have been successful. We do not wonder that such men fail and then complain at Providence on account of their own negligence, and think they have been un¬ fortunate in life. Ah, we should never consider a mistake a failure. We should use all obstacles as the Greek Gods did the lofty Alpine Mountains, only as stepping stones to higher achievements. THE POSSIBILITIES OF SUNDAY-SCHOOL IN THE NEGRO CHURCH. Delivered by Matthew M. Wilbun, at Commencement, Paine College, Augusta, Ga., May 31, 1910. The Sunday-school is the Bible-studying-and-teaching" service of the church. No text book has become the heri¬ tage of mankind that will do as much for the education of the whole man, physically, intellectually, morally and spiritually as will the Bible if its teachings be followed. It contains all things necessary for life and salvation; its intrinsic value need not be questioned. A knowledge of its sacred truths in the period of character building, prop¬ erly cherished and applied, gives firmness, stability and consistency of moral traits. The influence of good literature, with its pure senti¬ ments, high ideals, noble principles and wonderful achieve¬ ments, exalts man to his destined place and guides his en- STUDENTS' ORATORY '9 deavors to useful - enterprises. It seems imperative upon the church to furnish humanity the highest type of litera¬ ture. This it proposes to do. Among the agencies designed to do this work is the Sunday-school; as such, when its forces are properly or¬ ganized, and set to order, wonderful results follow. The Sunday-school was the first kind of school or¬ ganized for Negroes in this country. Since its organiza¬ tion it has rendered most efficient service. In the various Sunday-schools of the country, such religious instruction is given to implant a knowledge of duty, destiny and rela¬ tionships. Childhood is the formative, imitative period: a time when impressions are easily and quickly received; like the photographer's plate, it is sensitive to every ray of light. One business of Sunday-school in the Negro church is to adapt the teachings of the Holy Scriptures to the minds of young learners. Hence, the task of explaining and interpreting the scriptures is assumed. A knowledge of its peoples, languages, history, geography, types, sym¬ bols, figures and oriental settings is requisite to the proper unfolding of its contents. In the acquisition of such in¬ formation, both teacher and scholar will be benefited. The field of Biblical research thus opens to our Sunday-schools a sphere of unlimited possibilities. While doing this work the child is trained to reverence the word of God and the teacher becomes a more skilled workman for the Master. The neglect of proper home training has greatly en¬ larged the scope of Sunday-schools among us. The day is at hand when the Sunday-schools of our race must sup¬ plement the work of the homes; this is to be done not by giving "don'ts," but by training them for Christian ser¬ vices, and assigning them some real work to do. In this training, special emphasis may be put upon the observance of hygienic laws, right habits as to food, 20 STUDENTS' ORATORY sleep, exercise and work. Thereby, the spread of diseases would be lessened, and normal conditions would more nearly prevail in otherwise unpleasant districts. This training also relates to the mental development of all who partake in the exercises; the powers of acquisi¬ tion, retention, reproduction and expression are incidental¬ ly improved; the social side is also strengthened by choos¬ ing right associates on the basis of good morals and man¬ ners, amusements, play games, thus making of children life-long friends. Too, the precepts of the gospel—veracity, purity and kindness readily take their places. The Sunday-school is to teach the people to live the Christ-life: He went about doing good. Children in our Sunday-schools may adequately be taught to be good and to do good. It must not be overlooked that the Sunday- school is a training ground for the church, and that it is adapted to the needs of men and women in the midst of life's busy days. While the Sunday-school is for old and young alike, the fact remains that its chief attraction and promise is because here we find children and youths in great numbers, and it is through these that the world is to be won to God. "Childhood is the battle-ground of the king¬ dom." The importance of Sunday-schools is apparent when we note that Dr. John Clifford, of London, says: "Five- sixths of all additions to the church come through the Sunday-schools." Others testify the same. Any church which pays easy-going attention to its Sunday-school, by failing to support and nourish it, and man it as it should be, is neglecting its most fruitful field of opportunity, and shall find itself "weighed and found wanting." A clearer conception of duty and destiny, accruing from proper sources, will not fail to produce in our youths a higher sense of moral obligation, moral responsibility and moral excellence. This clearer conception of our relation- STUDENTS' ORATORY 21 ship, under consecrated leaders, may be had in our Sunday- schools. Ignorance and low moral estimate are among the evils to be eliminated from us. While ignorance and fa¬ naticism constitute the strength of Islam, the strength of our religion is in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The principles of this knowledge may be taught in our Sunday- schools and exemplified in the lives of its officers and teachers. As the Sunday-school can exert such a wide influence on the minds of its followers, even through life, all our churches may profitably devote more time to the instruc¬ tion of all who will come under their tuition. Our Sunday-schools can greatly extend their sphere of moral worth by intelligently addressing themselves to the problems of furnishing clean, pure exhilarating en¬ joyment to its members. These entertainments would meet a long felt demand: a demand for social and intellec¬ tual recreation; a demand that might otherwise be satis¬ fied somewhere else, and possibly that "somewhere else" might not be as healthful and helpful in its influence as the church and Sunday-schools. If such courses were pursued, how different would be our estimate of Sunday- schools ! At present there are arrangements by which all the members of a family may lend their forces to the Sunday- school; the Cradle Roll and Home Study Departments can practically put all in touch with the Sunday-schools. Again our Sunday-schools can tighten their hold on the public and increase their power by directing home study, so that the Sunday-school is not an isolated ser¬ vice, but lasts all the week. The superintendents and teachers can do much toward the spread of the gospel if they hold up the ideals of true Christian life. Children like to imitate those who teach them; then it is very essen¬ tial that the right examples be put before them. Text- 22 STUDENTS' ORATORY books are good, but by far the best text-book is the every¬ day-life of the Sunday-school teacher. The time is ripe when our Sunday-schools should look forward to more energetic missionary work. Alre.ady some Sunday-schools in other denominations support foreign missionaries, aid in maintaining mission posts and schools. If one of our Sunday-schools can not support a missionary, all united could easily do so. They of our Sunday-schools should be glad to give something to help establish a mis¬ sion post in Africa. They are only waiting the call to be made and they will respond liberally. In our own C. M. E. Church this is one of the ways by which money can be raised to foster missionary work in Africa. If one cent per month be asked of every one as a missionary offering once every month a large sum would soon be realized to relieve, the embarrassing situation. Children sometimes spend money for many useless trifles, why not teach them to give it to the church or Sunday- schools? Too, something could be done by establishing libraries and reading rooms in connection with our Sunday-schools. These places could be supplied with good literature at lit¬ tle cost. They would surely do a lasting service to hu¬ manity. As there are many tracts on all phases of the work all should be kept reading good literature. By the use of lively songs the singing may be greatly improved at the same time; they will be practicing for the church choir not far away. Perhaps one of the best things we do in Sunday-schools is to fix Scripture passages in the minds of the young. These verses, in future years, will be found helpful in times of temptation and sorrow. The Sunday-schools of Trinity, Liberty Street and Miles' Chapel have greatly aided their respective churches. But with more attention what could these Sunday-schools not do? STUDENTS' ORATORY 23 By gently helping home work, directing the reading of proper literature, by studying the word of God, by the use of Godly examples, by doing a~ctual work, the Sunday- schools are, and must continue to be, a most potent factor in the higher development of the Negro race. UNIVERSAL LIBERTY. ORATION BY THE REV. E. D. ALBOTT, B.D. Billings, Montapa. Lavish if you please the empire of human language, in its entirety ancient and modern, common and classic, find if you can words sufficient to sing the praises of the triumph of universal liberty in the dawn of the twen¬ tieth century. Take if you please the last three quarters of a century and see the tall angel of freedom with out¬ stretched wings of hope and cheer that illuminates the pages of history. Within the nineteenth century as in no other cycle of time have the rights of the common people been established and organized. In territory where once the dogma of Divine rights of Kings prevailed more than twenty-six Republics now exist, witnessing to the pro¬ gressive triumph of the principles of man's inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In the beginning of the nineteenth century nearly all the then existing powers, countenanced and supported slavery or serfdom. Those who were objected to slavery were all of African origin. Serfdom existed in Russia and is included in the peasantry of that country. Of the Euro¬ pean powers that countenanced and supported the African slave trade at the beginning of the nineteenth century the list includes Portugal, Spain, England, France, Holland, Denmark and Sweden. These several powers maintained 24 STUDENTS' ORATORY slavery in their colonies, notably the West Indies, South America and Mexico. The existence of slavery in the Uni¬ ted States is a fact so well understood as to scarcely re¬ quire mentioning. We need only to look upon the brow of the Negroes who were born in the forties and the sad story is well told. The first African slaves were brought to the new world in the year of 1565 in the English ship "Justus," com¬ manded by Sir John Hawkins, under the patronage of "good Queen Bess," thus you see my dear fellow citizens that exactly three hundred years from the landing of the first cargo of two hundred and fifty chained slaves at St. Domingo, our first martyred president, Abraham Lincoln went to his God bearing the shackles of four million freed men. Have you ever witnessed unsurmountable difficulties overcome by determined energy and persistent effort? If not, dwell with me for a moment on the rapid growth of the Abolition Sentiment in England. Within ten years, a single decade from the time of the first English Anti-Slav¬ ery Society was formed, the president passed an Act emancipating the slaves in all lands under its jurisdiction. This Act carried with it untold joy to a million of slaves in the British West Indies, Aug. 4th, 1833. "The Emancipation of the British West Indies." The night preceding the emancipation the Wesleyans kept watch meeting in all their chapels. One of the Wes- leyan missionaries gave an account of the watch meeting at the Chapel in St. John. The spacious house was filled with candidates of liberty. All was animation and eager¬ ness. A mighty chorus of voices swelled the song of ex¬ pectation and joy. , As they united in prayer the voice of the leader was drowned in the acclamation of thanksgiv¬ ing and praises, and blessings, and honor and the glory to God who had come down for their deliverance. In such ex¬ ercises the evening was spent until the hour of high twelve STUDENTS' ORATORY *5 approached. The missionary then proposed when the clock on the Cathedral should begin to strike the whole congre¬ gation should fall on their knees and receive the boon of freedom in silence. Accordingly as the loud bell tolled its first note the immense assembly fell prostrate on their faces. All was silent save the quivering half-stifled breaths of the struggling Spirit. The slow notes of the clock fell upon the multitude, peal on peal, peal on peal, rolled over the prostrated throng in tones of angels' voices, thrilling among the desolated chords and weary . heartstrings. Scarcely had the clock sounded its last notes when the lightning flashed vividly around and a loud peal of thunder roared along the sky, God's pillars of fire and triumph of Jubilee. A moment of profound silence was passed, then came the burst; they broke forth in prayer, they shouted the songs of Glory Alleluia, they clapped their hands, leap¬ ed up and fell down, clasped each other in their free arms, cried, laughed and went to and fro, tossing up their un¬ fettered hands, but high above the whole there as a mighty sound which ever an anon swelled up; it was the uttering in broken Negro dialect of gratitude to God. Thirty-one years less than the life of one generation from the date of the organization of the first American Anti- Slavery Society, the slave power received its first blow in America. When on the first day of January, 1863 the im¬ mortal Lincoln issued his "Emancipation Proclamation" and the yoke of slavery fell from the necks of four and a half million of slaves, and was carried away in a sea of blood. The overthrow of the American slave power en¬ tailed the sacrifice of six hundred thousand lives, and the expenditure of five billion dollars. What a stupendous price it cost the American nation to emancipate its slaves; $1,200 each and about one seventh of its precious lives. England emancipated her slaves in the West Indies at a cost of one dollar each and without the sacrifice of a 2.6 STUDENTS' ORATORY single life. Mysterious are the ways of God. Surely they are past finding out. In the overthrow of the American slave power, who can tell but what truth, right and jus¬ tice will ultimately win the day against all foes that stand in the way of the onward progress of the Sons of Ham; such foes as mobocricy, disfranchisement and segregation. These are some of the wrongs that must be made right, and they will be when the fullness of their time has come. Therefore, let us not become alarmed, nor skeptical, nor sink in despair; but let us, as a race, cling with ever-in¬ creasing tenacity to the faith of our fathers in the abso¬ lute sovereignty and justice of Almighty God; for it is written that right will triumph and might must recede. September, 1829, slavery was abolished in the Republic of Mexico. In September, 1871, slavery was abolished throughout the Empire of Brazil. As late as 1873 there were five hundred thousand slaves in Cuba, now there are none. In 1864 Alexander the second, the Czar of all the Russians, abolished serfdom and made joyous the hearts of fifty millions of his lonely and oppressed subjects. Among the people who rallied to the aid of universal liberty dur¬ ing the nineteenth century the Spartan braves of Hayti, led by "Toussiant 1' Overture", deserves special distinguish¬ ed mention. As I read over and over again the heroic deeds, sacrifices and hardships of these struggling, slaves for freedom, how they successfully resisted the attacks of the powers of the French army, stipulated by a purpose to sustain the powers of the great "Napoleon," how they compelled England to abandon its efforts to establish au¬ thority over their Island home without the aid of outside allies, but single handed and alone, blazed out their own pathway to freedom's summit, and wrote the "Magna-Char- ter" of their liberty in the blood of their oppressers, and how well nigh a hundred years they have sustained their freedom and maintained their national existence. Thus STUDENTS' ORATORY the world is made to recognize in the black sons of Ham, the bravest and most deserving in all of the variety of races found anywhere on the Western Continent A certain general was winding his way over the Alps on a cold winter day, his army had become despondent, cold and hungry, when all of a sudden the band began the song, "Home, Sweet Home," like a flash of lightning the sound of song so inspired each man that they renewed their strength, forgot their pains and doubled their speed for home. The question has often been asked why the Negro will fight for. the protection of America; the answer is given in the following words: Because this is his home. Since he has largely made America what she is, he cannot help but to love her rocks and hills, her valleys and plains. For such was the spirit that burned in the heart of "Cryspus At¬ tacks," who fell on Boston's Plain, Mass And such is the spirit of the American Negro of to-day. He has never at¬ tempted the assassination of an executive of the United States or played truant on the battlefield. In the emancipa¬ tion of the "British West Indies" the mad horseman did not rush upon his enemy for the purpose of extinguishing life; neither was the voice of a field general heard in thunder tones saying, March! Halt! right about face, make ready, fire! In the abolishing of serfdom the war cry was not heard, no heroism displayed to the extent of sacrificing life was required, but the "Czar" of Russia out of his big heart spoke the lifegiving word of emancipation and fifty thou¬ sand slaves were liberated. Liberation from servitude can only be appreciated to its fullest extent by those whose efforts of heroism win their liberty. The emancipation of the American Negro caused to be spilt some of the best blood of the two nations. Go with me to Fort Sumter, cross down the line to Milkin's Bend, and thence to Fort Pillow, where reason failed to check the thirst for each other's blood, and where the rivulets and' streams were 28 STUDENTS' ORATORY filled with blood; draw on your imagination and go with me to Fort Wagner, and listen to the Fifty-fourth black Regiment, marching to the battle field singing these poetical lines . "We are the valiant soldiers who've listed for the war; we are fighting for our freedom, we are fighting for the law. We can shoot a rebel further than a white man ever saw—As we go marching on." , , At the battle of Fort Wagner there was performed one of the greatest deeds of heroism known to the civilized world. In the heat of the battle, John Wall, the Negro color bearer was shot down; but William Carry, a Negro seized the standard and bore it to the ramparts, but after receiving several wounds, one of which mangled his arm, he brought the tattered banner to the rear in his clenched teeth, stained with his own blood, and shouted to his comrades, "Boys, it never touched the ground." Any sojourner—truth thrilled the hearts of the black regiment as they marched to battle, with these poetical lines: Look there above the center, where the flag is waving high; We are going out of slavery, we are bound for freedom's height; We mean to show Jeff Davis how the Africans can fight, as we go marching on. Go with me to the battle field of Richmond, Va., where the hoot and cry of the angered madman was heard, and where shot and shell fell thick and fast, and where the Fifty- fourth colored regiment immortalized their names in the hearts of unborn generations, and where the glittering sword and pointed bayonets dazzled human vision; and where the skilled marksman stood raising and lowering his fixed artillery, that swept men down like grass before the scythe. Fellow citizens of the Hamitic race, while we hail the emancipation of the British West Indies, our fellow men of kith and kin, let us not forget our emancipation STUDENTS' ORATORY 29 of "63," while theirs was the first, ours was the greatest; while theirs was simply an act of Parliament, ours was purchased with blood shed upon more than two hundred battle fields. In the insurrection between France and Spain in the year of 1791, "Toussiant 1' Overture" laid deep the foundation that in other days led to the emancipation of the British West Indies, which led to the establishment of the first black republic on the Western continent. In 1565, when the first cargo of two hundred and fifty chained slaves were landed at St. Domingo, no one ever dreamed that there would arise from that enslaved people one that would snatch from the hands of Great Britain the reins of the government of that country; but such are the facts to-day that the Haitian government is ruled by President "Francios Antione Simon," who is of the Hamitic race, and one that rules that country with as much grace and dignity as President Taft does the United States. Now let me say to the boys in the schools of today; burn the mid¬ night oil, buy and read Negro literature, think yourself the equal of any boy in the world, and if you find that your intellectual ambition leads you to the desire to be President of the United States, strive to be that; for who can tell but what in the coming of the Twentieth Century when all the nations shall have fought out their grievances, and when mobocricy and colored prejudice shall lose their power; I ask the thinking man of to-day, can he tell but what that same hand that led "Toussiant 1' Overture" to victory, and that led General Grant on to Richmond, Va., or that same power that forced "Abe Lincoln" to write the "Emancipa¬ tion Proclamation," or that the hand of Almighty God that led the black boys of the Twenty-fourth Infantry up "San Juan Hill" singing, "There'll be a hot time in the old town to-night," and saved Roosevelt and his rough riders. I ask you, the fair faced Anglo-Saxon, can't you see the hand of God in the nation's warfare. How can you tell 30 STUDENTS' ORATORY but what that same invisible hand will lead to the throne of government. A black man to rule with equity and justice the American people. SPEECH MADE AT THE UNVEILING OF THE CLASS MOTTO, JANUARY i, 1910. By C. C. H. Thompson, Hampton Institute, Hampton, Va, There is a well-known but never to be worn-out bit of wisdom which declares that what your hands find tt> do you should do with your might. Whole-heartedness, concentration, zeal, enthusiasm, energy is the backbone of the man of action. The men and women who are in earnest will accomplish more with half a truth and only one talent than the men and women who are indifferent will ac¬ complish with the whole truth and ten talents. The frivolous purposeless lives of the world are like- ships at the mercy of wind and tide. Hail one and ask whither are you bound? And the answer will be, "I don't know." "What cargo do you carry?" "Nothing." "Well,, what are you doing out here on the ocean of life?" "Only drifting." Oh! what a sorrowful spectacle that person1 makes; only drifting, when there is so much to be done. It is said that Carlyle, on one of his daily walks, met a young" man, and falling into conversation with him, inquired about his purpose in life. "I haven't any particular purpose in life," came the reply, "Then get one," exclaimed the stem old man, striking his cane on the pavement, "Get one quickly." There 'are many people in this world who seem to have dropped in upon us merely to see what we are like, and what we are doing. They look at life through an open glass; life interests them as a show; and as nothing more; STUDENTS' ORATORY "whether the world goes well or ill is no concern of theirs; nothing moves them; they shun all efforts to make the world better; they take no part or lot in it at all; all they want is to look and see. They came as foreigners, and foreigners they remain. But let us thank Heaven that there are others, who are willing to shoulder responsibilities and bear burdens. They have come for business; they find life not merely a show but an opportunity; they mingle with their fellow men and are a part of what they see; it makes a difference to them how the world is going; they want it to go right; when there is anything to be done, they know they are the ones to do it; they are always ready, and when they go, they go straight forward. These are the men and women who want their lives to count for something; their idea is not to get all they can get out of the world; they are what we would call, "Soldiers of conscience;" they are the world's helpers and hope bririgers. To the latter class such men, I might say such heroic men, as St. Paul, and Martin Luther belong; such patriots as Samuel Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roose¬ velt; such preachers as John Wesley, Henry Ward Beecher, and Philips Brooks; such teachers as Dr. Arnold, of Rugby, Mary Lyons, Mark Hopkins and General Armstrong; these and many more in all departments of life; also a great multitude unknown to fame, but whose names are written in the book of those who love and serve mankind. History declares that the most potent force in every great movement is not the tramp of armies nor the de¬ crees of councils and cabinets, nor the splendor of riches nor the creation of intellect; the most important factor is the moral earnestness behind some purpose in the heart ■of an individual man. That is the way in which Confucius taught China, Socrates taught Greece and Jesus Christ teaches the world. The object of life is not to find a pleasant road, but to reach a worthy goal, whatever the condition 32 STUDENTS' ORATORY of the road may be. The one safe way is to do your work, that is, to do your duty, giving little thought to discomforts and dangers. Select the right goal, keep your eyes on that goal, then go always straight, "If you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces," said one of those fiery New England preachers of the old school; which is to say, do your duty though it may be surrounded with difficulties. For forty-two years these • consecrated grounds have been trodden daily by those who have striven thus to do their duty, who have motives for the sole purpose of ex¬ tending to the Negro and Indian, a helping hand. In a far corner of these grounds lies beneath the sod one who in the past loved mankind more than facts or theories, who held up the cause of Christ, not merely in doctrine, but in reality not respecting person, or color, but God and all of God's people, and doing earnestly and patiently the things God gave him to do. The good life is the life that reaches out, that fulfils itself in, ministration to other lives ; therefore, we, the mem¬ bers of the present class accepting this great ideal of life for our own, present to you our motto, "The life that counts is the life that serves." What counts is the good life; there is no other worth living but whatever is good, is good for something beyond itself; the life that counts most is the life that serves most. From this school have gone out men and women of the forty graduating classes, impressed with that high ideal of life that they are to make their lives count for some¬ thing for the support of God's kingdom and the good of their fellow men; "so we would make our lives count." We have all opportunities opened out before us here and now, we can never expect a larger or more sympathetic environment; it is here we may get that which through God's grace shall make us useful men and women, who STUDENTS' ORATORY 33 shall carry the seed sown in our lives to those who are less fortunate than ourselves. There is a city which may be called the city of our desire; it is surrounded by a strong, high wall in which there appears to be two "Gates," the gate of "Ease" and the gate of "Doing," people are forever trying to enter the city through the gate of "Ease;" this they find always barred; but let us make our approach from the opposite side, and the "Gate" of "Doing" stands always open. We can do always what we know we ought to do; we can do something for people and we will become interested in people; do our duty, and we will become interested in our duty, and lo! we have entered the city of our desire, through the gate of doing. THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE CHURCH A FACTOR IN THE WORLD. Wm. D. Shannon, Payne Theological Seminary, Wilber- force, O., Class 1910—Theological Course. "The Philosophy of the Church as a Factor in the World." By Philosophy, we mean, the cause and effect of incidents which evidence some relationship between the Church and the World. By the Church, we mean an or¬ ganization or community of men, generally speaking, who have reconciled themselves to Jesus Christ, and who act in concert, as the operating energy of God. ' By Factor, we mean the influence which the Church has brought to bear on civilization, the real base and dy¬ namic of our civilization. By the World, we mean, Movements extant: We are not posing as the champion of Social Science, but rather that the peoples of this country be called upon 34 S I UDENTS' ORA TORY to recognize the position of the Church in the Social sys¬ tem, and thereby to render tribute to whom tribute is due. But Social Science is moral in nature, and in the early periods, Theology embraced all Social Science; it absorbed the greatest and the best minds of the middle ages, and was called the "First Philosophy." Social Science runs parallel with Christianity and as the Church is part of Christianity, so may we say that Social Science runs parallel with the Church. The founder of Christianity, and therefore of the Church, was the greatest Socialist that ever lived, and someone has put it thus—"Christianity is the Socialized re¬ ligion, affecting every phase of the life of man." Dr. Wash- ington Gladden, a gentleman who ranks high as a Sociolo¬ gist, pleading for the Christianization of Society in Tools and Men says: "The end of Christianity is twofold, the perfect man, in a perfect society." Rev. Hugh Price Hughes, of England, says: "Christ came to save the nation as well as the individual." The idea therefore is, "The Church in the World to Transform the World." There¬ fore, we declare, without the fear of contradiction, what¬ ever makes for good, spiritual, intellectual, moral or physi¬ cal, is part of the Church's mission. President Welsh, of the Ohio Wesleyan University, very uniquely put forth the Church's mission. Says he: "The Church is not a Jack-of- all-trades; the Church may be a pioneer, and then abandon the good work to others; insane asylums, hospitals and all charitable and educational institutions, have behind them, the Church, with her sympathy and workers, influencing every enterprise that looks to the public good; whenever there is an opportunity to apply the gospel." This gives the Church a very extensive field of operation, but we shall limit our discussion to three phases of its activities. I. As regards Morality. II. Education. STUDExNTS' ORATORY 35 III. As regards Philanthropy. I. Morality. Religion is morality, but morality is not religion; religion means relation to God; morality has no necessary relation to God, for unbelievers may be moral¬ ists, as a moral life is but a life in accordance with the gen¬ erally accepted standards of right and wrong in matters of conduct. It is the duty of the Church, and more or less this duty has been performed as the philosophy of Church His¬ tory has shown, to impress upon its members, and all. those who come under its influence, the necessity of keeping the moral law. The Church is God's medium through which He makes known to the world, the ideal life through the Bible, the most perfect text-book on Ethics. What apology has the Church for its existence on earth, if not to shape the eternal destiny of the world? The paternal care of the citizen cannot be provided for fully by any form of civic machinery; the Church must be the force working towards this end, the carrying out of the highest moral ideals in human relationship. Run the risk if you will—Take the Church out of the world, and your moral system must soon collapse. Condi¬ tions would be as the day without the sun. II. The Philosophy of the Church, as a factor along Educational lines, hardly needs any extensive discussion. History has shown that the Church has always been a pat¬ ron of the schools. Many of the Theological views of the early Church fathers were supported by the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. The student of the History of Chris¬ tian Doctrines cannot but be impressed with the coloring that was given by the prevailing philosophers of the vari¬ ous periods to the Doctrines of the Church. In the early ages, there were Christian schools at Alex¬ andria and Antioch, and several other places in Asia Minor. 36 STUDENTS' ORATORY Every student of history knows of the part played by the Church at the time of the restoration of classical culture. Who does not know of the important part played by the Monasteries in the dissemination of knowledge? Let us now examine the situation in this, our country. Harvard, Yale, by whom started? Long before the State undertook to foster education, Church organizations had been planting their colleges and universities. In almost every State of the Union, you will find a Methodist Episcopal school. Colored Church organizations are also playing their part in the educational line. It would consume too much time to tell of the schools of the Baptists and the others, but must of necessity speak of the great efforts being put forth by the A. M. E. Church, by naming a few of their schools: Ed¬ ward Waters College, Kittrell, Campbell, Shorter, Allen, Paul Quin, Western University, Morris Brown, and last but not least, the oldest of them all, our beloved Wilber- force. What a mighty influence the Church is exerting along educational lines! Yet some are extremely ungrate¬ ful to the Church. III. The Philosophy of the Church, as a factor as re¬ lated to Philanthropy, is a subject very little discussed, but nevertheless, it is true that you can hardly find any phase of philanthropy but what the Church is to be thanked. We speak of real, genuine philanthropy. It is true, there was benevolence in the world before the Church of Christ exer¬ cised the power which it has. There was a type of benevo¬ lence among the Romans, but there was as the motive, an extremely selfish motive, the bringing into prominence of self. The Church's benevolence, philanthropy, was, and is the outflow of the sense of a common Brotherhood, the rec¬ ognition of the oneness of the human family; the desire to ameliorate human wants and sorrows. Follow me, if you will, into some large city. Here is a Hospital, there an STUDENTS' ORATORY 37 Almshouse, an Old Folks' Home, an Orphans' Home; yon¬ der, a Home for the Blind; asylums of every kind. Do you ask as to their origin? I shall point you to the Church. There it is, where the hearts of man are'touched with sym¬ pathy. There, may be found the mighty river of human sympathy, which flows, touching here and there, turning the desert into a productive field. The Church and its work are placed before you to-day. What think ye of it? Is it worthy of your support and co¬ operation? Is it not the best and noblest and grandest in¬ stitution in the world? Yet, there are men, men who ought to do better things, who speak disrespectfully of the Church, men who think it a sign of intellectual and social superio'rity to keep away from the church. What ingratitude! We hear a German professor of some college say—"The Church is made up of the lower strata of society;" another, "The Church is too aristocratic." What can they say against what the Church is accomplishing? Poor World, were the Church to be taken from your midst, what Chaos, Confusion! What Car¬ nivals ! What thefts and murders! What acts of deviltry! A veritable place of perdition upon Earth! Every great moral reform, every great movement for the betterment of mankind, every effort for organized ser¬ vice to mankind, is found to have its origin in some idea that has come to a follower of the Christ and most likely, a member of some church. Therefore, every human being owes much to the Church, much that he cannot pay; all that is asked is, Recognize the Church's Worth! Ever re¬ spect and honor this grand institution. 38 STUDENTS' ORATORY LIFE, A SNOWFLAKE THAT MARKS BUT NEVER STAINS. Edythe Marjorita Motin, 1910. 1. Let us turn back and look down into the valley of the dark, dim ages of bondage and beginning there, note our progress. 'Twas from this valley we started to climb to the mountain height with the twin destinies, thought and purpose close by our sides and half way up we grappled with patience and perseverance linked arm in arm. But O I how far it seems to the mountain top where shines a light brighter than the noonday sun. But we have gone only a part of the way now so let us still press on, and when we shall have reached the goal of honor and glory 'tis then our lives will be as snowflakes that mark but never stain. 2. Life is no mere trifle, "we must fight, if we would win." Others have reached the mountain top and have become the sons of the Goddess of Fame, and why cannot we? Even the Negro who worked from early dawn until close of day in the cotton fields, under merciless masters, sought knowledge by the dim candle light in a log cabin. Phyllis Wheatley, a Negro slave and poetess consulted the Muses in her dark and humble room and found a solace there. And why cannot we surmount this barrier which stands between us and fame, for we have innumerable op¬ portunities which were denied our forefathers. And I would commend that you praise a beneficent Father for the splendid possibilities open to us of the twentieth cen¬ tury. 3. Do we not often look at another and say, I n«ver can be what he is? Yet this ought not to be, we all were never intended to be just alike, you may be a sculptor, I an artist, while others are poets, educators and sages. "These are the foundations of the after world, the builders. STUDENTS' ORATORY 39 of glory." James Allen has so truly said of such characters that, "the world is beautiful, because they have lived and without them laboring humanity would perish." 4. Oft in the still night, do you not hear the call from the highlands? Can you answer this call? No, never, if you have not done your best to improve precious moments and hours, and with strength of character and of purpose have rowed up stream. Do you think you could answer this call if your lives were not as pure as the snowflakes that fall to the earth? The answer is no, the world can use no people who cannot make a mark. 5. Man is a hero, within his mind is generated thought, he is the moulder of .his life, the maker of conditions and the shaper of his destiny. So why then be discouraged, to be so is but to fail. It is true there are times when we find obstacles in our way, but we must not give up, but must do our best and in the end we shall conquer. Do not remain down because there is predjuice against your race, but arise prepared for competition, and combat this with fortitude and with skill. Be able to prove that, "The slave's chain and the master's alike are broken. The curse of the race held both in tether. They are rising, all are rising, the black and white together." 6. The Negro has shown himself able to compete with the other races in every phase of life, on the battlefield, in the business world, or in the halls of literary fame. But all this was not attained without an effort, we must climb though the way be rugged, with patience and cheerfulness grasped tightly by the hand, for a fretful spirit is a disgrace to human character and the bright side of life is lost. But this is not all, we must encounter a power greater than either of these, self-reliance, the author of success. Without this the barrier which stands between us and fame will be insurmountable. And yet, this is not all—we must cultivate morality, the greatest power in every man's life, for how 4° STUDENTS' ORATORY can we make our lives as snowflakes that make a mark 00 the sands of time, but never leave a stain if we neglect our morals? 7. Ask yourself this question, why do we sometimes fail? 'Tis simply this: we fail to stick to our bush and spend our time jumping from one thing to another looking for something better, as we say, but not so—he who succeeds is the one who sticks to his work though it causes him to spend many sleepless nights and many hours of pain. Al¬ ways remember that "not failure, but low aim is crime.'r "Bargain for the coat of arms, if you only get a sleeve. Aim at the sky if you only hit a tree." 8. So often, yes, too often, I fear we say to ourselves,. "We are only a small part in this world and can be of no service," but this must not be, we must strive on and on until we reach the goal, and who knows you may have the one missing spark that were it given wings might electrify this universe. 9. The Negro can, the Negro must and the Negro will advance, he is not the slave of fifty years ago who trembled at the sound of his master's voice; but he is the twentieth century Negro with a twentieth century will. He is the man who has been hidden behind the clouds, but now the clouds have been turned about and the silver lining shows, and on it is written the good deeds of the Negroes whose lives were as snowflakes that marked but never stained. On this list of fame in letters bold and glittering stand prominent the names of Crispus Attucks and Hon. Fred¬ erick Douglass, whose memories lie deep in the hearts of their fellow men. But, we have more modern heroes than these, men with pure lives and high aims. Booker T. Washington, principal of the Tuskegee Institute and Hon. Wm. T. Vernon, Register of the U. S. Treasury and presi¬ dent of our own Western University. These are some of the educators of the race; and yet along other lines we have STUDENTS' ORATORY 41 great bankers, doctors, lawyers, and in fact Negroes in every avenue of life who are competing successfully with others. So let us do our best to follow in the paths our fathers trod to glory until the Negro can stand by his Anglo Saxon brother and sing: "My country 'tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty." And I say yea a thousand times o'er, let your lives be as snowflakes that mark but never stain. WHAT A THOROUGH EDUCATION WOULD DO FOR THE SOUTH. Rev. Geo. W. Robinson, A.B., Benedict College, Columbia, S. C. There are certain conditions that warrant a better education for the South. Not speaking of one side of educa¬ tion, nor one phase of education, but a better education in the broad sense of the term. Not only a classical, not only a scientific, not only an industrial education; for all of these must be grouped together to make a thorough educated man. Thus, when we speak of education we mean broad and thorough culture. It includes physical education that the body may be sound and strong; a technical or industrial education that it may be trained for a particular trade or profession, and may qualify one for the chosen business of life; an intellectual education that the mind may be well dis¬ ciplined and furnished with knowledge; an aesthetic educa¬ tion that the sense of duty may be fully developed ; a moral and spiritual education that the sense of duty and glory of service in human society and the Kingdom of God may thrill and fill the soul. That is the kind of education the South needs to place her on a plane to cope with all other educated sections of the world. 42 STUDENTS ORATORY To develop the South we must develop the intelligence of our average population as well as the material resources such as minerals, soil, water power, climate, forests, and everything else, because they are valuable or worthless in proportion to the efficiency of the intelligence, energy and character of the average citizen. No matter what business, trade or profession one follows, one prospers just in pro¬ portion to the intelligence of the average man with whom he has to deal. In other words, not only the property of the South depends on the intelligence of the average man, but every art, craft and trade of a community, and prosperi¬ ty of every individual community from the boy who blacks your shoes on the streets to the master mind that organizes the railway systems or governs your State. The great principle of democracy to which our Ameri¬ can government is dedicated is not confined to the world of politics, but applies with equal force to the intellectual world. The South must revise not only her old aristocratic ideas of government and industries, but her idea of educa¬ tion as well. These old fatal misconceptions have shackled the South too long, and there is hope for her only realizing that education is not aristrocratic, but democratic. We, the citizens of the South, must remember that the poorer every other man is the poorer we are, whether in the in¬ tellectual way, or the material sense. Many citizens of the South think just the reverse, that the poorer their laborers are the richer they are, the more ignorant the laborers are the better for them. This has been the prevail¬ ing idea and this and only this has caused the South to be as far as she is to-day behind the North, East and West. Every man whose earning capacity is below par, below normal is a burden on the community. The South, the garden spot of this country in vegetation, our untrained citizens, our inefficient man, is not only a poverty breeder for himself but the contagion of it reaches every man in STUDENTS' ORATORY 43 the community who is guilty of leaving him untrained. The law of changeless justice decrees that you just rise or fall, decline or prosper with your neighbor. So today every man who tills an acre of land in the South so that it produces just half what directed intelligent labor would do, every man who is doing poor work of any kind, every man who is earning only a mere pittance a day instead of three or four times as much is a sole agent in keeping a community poor and in ignorance. Suppose you were liv¬ ing in that community and his fellow citizens, because of his inefficiency and failure to contribute to public move¬ ments, you must have poor roads, poorer schools, shabbier church buildings, lower priced land, your teachers more poorly paid, your preacher's salary smaller, your newspaper a smaller circulation, your town a poorer market, your rail¬ road a smaller traffic, your merchants a smaller trade and your banks a smaller, deposit. These very causes are the reasons of the South's present condition. The greatest need of the South today is a thorough education along all lines. Some Southern colleges are too lax in their management, too many students are allowed toi pass through as favorites, which is*both injurious to the individual and a drawback and a parasite on the country at large. The college is a true democracy. There is no place for schemes or cunning, no place for politics, no place where one would buy an honor instead of winning it by merits, no place to curry favor of teachers. Every fellow stands on his feet. In this little democratic world of college life merit flourishes, merit wins, and men are made. Here within the college walls talent talks; within the college walls midnight oil is often burned when we become interested in tracing the. raindrops perculating through the rocks uniting with the burning oxygen in the interior causing volcanic eruption and heaving earthquakes; within the college walls mind controls matter, analyzes it by 44 STUDENTS' ORATORY the position of its atoms and molecules; within the college walls we converse with historians, philosophers, scientists and scholars of years gone by, associating our thoughts with theirs, thus aiding to make a thoroughly educated man. That is the kind of college and education the South needs for her citizens. The process of education above all else is the preparation for service, service to all and by all classes of mankind. The service must be universal. If the true idea of education must be realized, it must be found in the university of community life; it must be found in the jury box; it must be found at the polls; it must be found in the political arena heedless of criticism, fearless of evil spoken of by envious men. It will lift up the South. It will cause her to abandon the idea of trying to lift one people by putting down another. Two civilizations cannot be taught. One civilization for all. Booker T. Washing¬ ton has well said, "We cannot lift anything by raising one ve have learned all that may be learned through your instruction, STUDENTS' ORATORY 63 but because the consummation of ours bids us go, and we begin more justly to appreciate the ideas that you have implanted within us. We have learned to honor you, not because of your authority, but, having- met you face to face, we have recogniz¬ ed your learning and ability, have found insight and uplift, and have known you to be true men and women. We have felt your genuine sympathy with all our student interests in which you have met a class so hard to please, an evidence in some de¬ gree of the harmony prevailing between yourselves and our "Alma Mater." But now I must say to you, farewell; may the great Creator of All ever keep you under the wings of Israel's Prince, that you may impart to the classes that are to follow such unfailing instruction as you have given the class of 1910. To the Members of the undergraduating body, we commend the interest we have hitherto cherished together, knowing that your welfare is no less than ours, but let me remind you that Democracy is no less an element of our success. Every depart¬ ment of our College interests: our hall, our sports, our daily work and our religion, we ask you to hold at a high standard, and may the enthusiasm extend to every part. Now, as we must part we leave the grand old College, the common parent of us all, in your hands, so farewell to you, farewell. And to you, my dear classmate; how long do these three years of privilege seem as we gaze back upon them? We have lost much which is now vain to regret, much have we gained, and henceforth we must give an account of our stewardship, and as we go out from our Alma Mater, may we ever keep with us that grand old motto: "A passe ad esse." In the last three years we have learned to know and value each other, we have formed eternal bonds of friendship dur¬ ing College life. We share our pleasure beneath those gi¬ gantic oaks, and we have together read the long chapter of op¬ portunity offered there, and now there remains but the last brief word, "farewell,"—the word you have heard so often, the word you have heard spoken through tears, yes, but al¬ ways with a new sadness. How much of memory and how much of hope is bound up in these two syllables, "farewell." We are drawn together now as we have never been be¬ fore, but the last hour has struck telling us to go out to do life's battle with a burning love to our "Alma Mater," and with our hearts bent on higher things. We must part, so fare you W6^ Farewell to one and all; thrice farewell! 64 STUDENTS' ORATORY LOMAX-HANNON SCHOOL. Greenville, Ala., March 2nd, 1911- Brief History. This Institution began its first session in the parson¬ age of the A. M. E. Zion Church in the city of Greenville, October 1st, 1898. It was organized by Rev. J. W. Al- stork, P. E. now (Bishop). This school was moved out of the city one mile into the country, where the facilities of industrial education could be carried on to better advantage. The Institution, is located on a beautiful hill at the juncture of two public roads leading into the city of Greenville, the county seat of Butler County. The ground of the school embraces twenty-six acres- of some of the best land in Butler County. There is one three story brick building and one cottage for boys, barn and barn-yard, the value of which is fifteen thousand dol¬ lars ($15,000). This property is clear of all indebtedness. The school is supported by the A. M. E. Zion connec¬ tion, private subscriptions and donations. Courses of Study: Preparatory, Normal, Collegiate, Theological, Musical and Industrial. It has a splendid dormitory for boys and girls and offers an opportunity to young men and women of limited means to earn an education by working out a part of their expenses. It has a splendid faculty and an excellent board of trustees, the chairman of which is Bishop J. W. Alstork, No. 231 Cleveland Avenue, Montgomery, Ala. The number graduated was eighteen (18). Misses Fannie F. Albert and Callie E. Boiling delivered the best orations of the class of 1910. Miss Fannie F. Albert, Val- dictorian, Prattville, Ala.; Callie E. Boiling, Salutatory, Greenville, Ala. Yours very truly, J. R. Wingfield, Prin.